Ingredients
Meat
- 600 gbeef brisket or shin, or 1 boiling chicken
- 1onion
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tsppeppercorns
- salt
Vegetables
- 600 gpotatoes
- 4carrots
- 2parsley roots
- 1celeriac, small
- 200 gpeas, cooked
Pickles
- 300 gpickled gherkins, finely diced
- 150 gpickled red peppers or gogoșari, diced
Dressing
- 400 mlmayonnaise, ideally homemade
- 2 tbspmustard
- 2 tbsppickle brine
- salt and white pepper
To decorate
- more mayonnaise
- black olives
- strips of pickled pepper
- hard-boiled egg
To serve
- cold, as part of the holiday table
Directions
- Simmer the meat with the onion, bay, peppercorns and salt for about an hour and a half until completely tender. Keep the broth, because the vegetables are cooked in it. Cook the potatoes, carrots, parsley root and celeriac whole and in their skins where possible. Cook them whole and unpeeled. Cut into pieces they take on water and the finished salad turns wet and loose.
- Cook each vegetable until just tender and no further, testing them separately. They cook at different rates, so take each one out as it is ready rather than leaving them all in together.
- Drain everything and cool it completely before peeling. Cut every vegetable, the meat and the pickles into a small even dice of about 5 mm. The salad is judged on it in Romania, and a spoonful should carry a little of everything.
- Squeeze the diced pickles gently to remove excess brine. Squeeze them, because pickle liquid thins the mayonnaise and the salad goes runny by the next day. Keep a couple of spoonfuls of that brine for the dressing.
- Combine all the diced vegetables, meat, pickles and peas in a very large bowl. Homemade mayonnaise makes a noticeable difference here, because it is more than half the dressing.
- Fold the dressing through gently, using a spatula rather than stirring hard. Fold rather than stir. Keep back about a third of the mayonnaise for the decoration. Taste it and season, remembering that cold food needs more salt than warm. Now chill it for at least 4 hours, and overnight is better.
- Press it into a serving dish or a mould and smooth the top flat. Now coat the whole surface with a smooth layer of the reserved mayonnaise, like icing a cake. Chill it again until you are ready to serve. Serve it cold, cut into squares or spooned out, as part of a spread of cold dishes. It keeps three days refrigerated and many say it is better on the second day.
Technique
- Chicken is used as often as beef and the name persists regardless.
- Every family has a slightly different vegetable mix and firm opinions about it.
- It is made in enormous quantities, because it is served for several days.
Substitutions
- Good shop-bought mayonnaise, which many households use.
- Chicken in place of beef, which is quicker and milder.
Variations
- Made with chicken.
- Vegetarian, with no meat at all.
- With apple diced through it, which some families do.
History
The Romanian version of Russian salad, made with boiled root vegetables, pickles and mayonnaise and decorated for the winter holidays.
Frequently asked questions
What is Salată de boeuf?
Salată de boeuf is a salad & side from Romania: diced meat and vegetable mayonnaise salad for holidays. The Romanian version of Russian salad, made with boiled root vegetables, pickles and mayonnaise and decorated for the winter holidays.
How long does Salată de boeuf take to make?
Salată de boeuf takes 1 hr plus 4 hr chilling of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 10 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Salată de boeuf?
Yes, within limits. Good shop-bought mayonnaise, which many households use. Chicken in place of beef, which is quicker and milder.
What is the most important thing to get right in Salată de boeuf?
Cook each vegetable until just tender and no further, testing them separately. They cook at different rates, so take each one out as it is ready rather than leaving them all in together.
